Screening of yeast strains for vinification of fruits from cold desert regions of North West India

The selection of yeast strains is important in the wine industries because yeasts contribute to the microbial ecology of wine production. The appropriate oenological process involves the screening of large numbers of natural yeast isolates in order to select desirable variants within a population of yeast strains. In this context, the 14 yeast strains isolated from different parts of Himachal Pradesh, India and identified as genus Saccharomyces cerevisiae were screened for their ethanol-, osmo- and thermo-tolerance. Among 14 strains, only one strain ‘N’ showed ethanol-tolerance (upto 12% (v/v)), osmo-tolerance (upto 30% (w/v) dextrose) and thermotolerance ( upto 40oC) and it was found to be on par with other two industrial strains, ‘I-1’ and ‘I-2’. The strain ‘N’ was used for vinification as an alternative post harvest technique for lesser utilized fruits from the cold desert regions of Himachal Pradesh, such as sea buckthorn.